GLOBAL WILDLIFE PROGRAM
Photo: ZimPark ranger Patience Tsitsi Shumbayaonda covers vast distances while on extended patrols battling heat and exposure to disease. Rangers serving on the frontline of conservation keep a close eye on endangered wildlife with the lack of tourists due to COVID-19. © Evans Ekatiyo, ZimParks
GWP NEWSLETTER | NOVEMBER 2020
Dear GWP Friends and Colleagues,

We hope that you and your families are safe and that there will be some positive developments to stem the pandemic soon.

We have a few new resources to share with you:

  • A new publication and interactive e-book called Tools and Resources for Nature-Based Tourism. This has been a collaborative effort between the World Bank's Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice and the GWP.
  • And, a new technical guide to assist GWP countries in implementing community-based electric fences for the effective mitigation of human-elephant conflict. 

The 2020 GWP Annual Conference will be taking place virtually December 1–3 with a mix of technical discussions and interactive breakout groups. This will be the fourth annual meeting the GWP has held (information on prior events can be found here). Due to the number of project teams in the program, the conference will be limited to only representatives and members working or partnering with GWP national projects.

This year, the conference aims to increase awareness of experiences from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean on opportunities for a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 for wildlife and communities; enhance the understanding of the range of projects participating in the GWP; share good practices in project design, implementation, and adaptation to COVID-19; and explore opportunities to engage with the GWP Global Coordination Platform.

We look forward to continuing to collaborate on conservation and sustainable development.
Warm regards, the GWP Team
Why investing in conflict resolution leads to better biodiversity outcomes
The COVID-19 pandemic is leading to increased poverty and inequality, further intensifying the need to focus on a recovery that is inclusive and sustainable. GWP Senior Advisor Alexandra Zimmermann—an interdisciplinary scientist specializing in conflict resolution in biodiversity and wildlife conflicts—discusses how practitioners and governments can work together to solve conflicts over biodiversity without overly relying on economic benefits.
A guide to implement community-based electric fences to mitigate human-elephant conflict
Human-elephant conflict is a major conservation, socioeconomic, and political issue across most of the African and Asian elephant range states. Conventional attempts to mitigate it by limiting elephants to protected areas have not been very effective in virtually all elephant range states.

This guide is a result of a World Bank-funded pilot initiative in Sri Lanka, which has the highest level of human-elephant conflict in the world. The purpose of this technical guide is to assist GWP countries in addressing human-elephant conflict and exploring ways for coexistence between humans and elephants.
How can nature-based tourism recover sustainably? The journey back to recovery
COVID-19 brought tourism to a halt: the sector faces a loss of nearly 200 million jobs due to travel restrictions. Nature-based tourism (NBT), the largest, global, market-based contributor to financing protected area systems, has been especially hard hit.

For governments and tourism operators looking to rebuild the NBT sector, this new publication offers resources and tools to help grow back in a resilient and sustainable way.
A one-stop platform with tools and resources for nature-based tourism
Tools and Resources for Nature-Based Tourism, from the World Bank’s Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy (ENB) Global Practice and the Global Environment Facility-funded Global Wildlife Program, curates the wealth of knowledge and resources available on NBT topics and makes them easily accessible to practitioners as they work to restart tourism.

This one-stop platform can help provide the resources on recovery strategies and impacts that are needed to put conservation at the core of sustainable tourism.


The report is online here
 
The ebook is here

Please share your feedback on this tool by emailing us at [email protected]
How are rangers navigating the extra challenges due to COVID-19? Read their stories here
More than 150 rangers lose their lives in the line of duty each year protecting wildlife and national parks. The GWP and its network of partners supports government-led efforts to combat poaching, manage protected areas, and promote community-based conservation. Rangers who work in conservation areas supported through UNDP and the governments of Zimbabwe and Indonesia share what motivates them to protect wildlife in this feature story.
How do you use storytelling to advance conservation?
The GWP conducted a virtual training series on Conservation Storytelling for the Asia projects team as part of the communications component of the GEF-6 global grant.
The four parts covered are: 

* A communications overview
* Using data to tell a story
* Using photos to tell a story
* GWP country project presentations

In the report you can see summaries of the sessions and links to the various recordings and presentations. We hope to do something similar for Africa in 2021.
From our partners
Thank you to Jaime Cavelier:
GEF–GWP coordinator
The GWP is immensely grateful for the passion and commitment that Jaime Cavelier has shown the program as GEF–GWP coordinator since our inception in 2015. Jaime recently retired from his position as Senior Biodiversity Specialist at the GEF, where he joined in 2007.

Jaime's relentless support towards wildlife conservation and positive 'can-do' attitude has helped build a solid foundation for the GWP.
Jaime said: "The Global Wildlife Program represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to protect species threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, a truly global menace. The GWP has the funding and a cradle of incredible, capable, and dedicated staff to make this happen."

For now, Jaime is enjoying some quiet times with his family and dog in Cartagena, Colombia, We wish Jaime the very best for the future!
Meet Adriana Moreira, new GEF–GWP coordinator
Adriana recently joined the GEF as a Senior Biodiversity Specialist and is an expert in environment and sustainable development with over 25 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, rural development, and climate change in Latin America and Africa. Adriana served as the program manager for the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes (ASL) Impact Program since its inception in 2015 until October 2020. 

Adriana said: “The GWP is a fundamental partnership for building a better future for our planet in a post-pandemic world. I feel very privileged to become part of this amazing enterprise and look forward to contributing to the program in its holistic approach to combat illegal trade and conserve the diversity of life on earth."
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